While enjoying a leisurely week's holiday in West Wales, I noticed that a couple of cricketers announced they were taking an immediate and permanent break friom playing cricket. Coldplay's lead singer may have displaced him as the most famous Chris Martin, but the New Zealand paceman deserves recognition as an unsung hero for his nation. Only Hadlee and Vettori have taken more Test wickets than his 233 for the Black Caps and his career tally of first-class victims stalled at an impressive 599, to go with 242 in shorter formats.
Of course he may be better remembered for his wonderfully awful batting, but that's not why he was picked to represent his country 97 times, including 71 Tests, the last of which came at Cape Town in January. In 394 matches of all kinds, his highest score was a mighty 25, after which he must have retired ill! Only once in Test cricket did Martin reach double figures, even taking two successive boundaries. Hang your head in shame, Shahadat Hossain, for it was he who was bowling at the time....
Probably his best bowling performance was in a nine-wicket defeat of South Africa on his home ground of Auckland nine years ago. His 6-76 and 5-104 from a typically heavy workload of 50+ overs earned him a rare Man of the Match award. While his record was relatively modest in Asia, England, Australia and the Caribbean, Chris Martin's place in Kiwi cricketing history is secured.
Perhaps less renowned globally is Arul Suppiah, the Somerset favourite who has been forced into early retirement by worsening knee injuries at the age of 29. Probably the best cricketer to have been born in Kuala Lumpur, Arul followed a well-worn route to Somerset via Millfield School, making his debut as a teenager in 2002. He often looked classy, albeit the junior partner to stroke-maker Marcus Trescothick, and rarely made the big scores his talent deserved, the 2009 season apart. Ironically he boasts a world record not for his batting but for his part-time left-arm spin. In 2011, he took 6-5 against Glamorgan, the best return in any T20 match so far. Take that, Malinga, Nannes, Ashwin et al!
Suppiah's loss of form and troublesome joints couldn't have come at a worse time for the county, shorn of a once-sparkling batting line-up by injury and international call-ups. However, I hope he can remain part of the Somerset set-up for a while yet. He has become a familiar figure in Taunton and, despite a less outstanding record than many team-mates, was a real favourite with the county cognoscenti. You may have been maddening sometimes but, Arul, we Somerset fans will miss you!
Showing posts with label Arul Suppiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arul Suppiah. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Somerset show India how it's done....
Having bought my ticket for Somerset vs Indians six months ago in eager anticipation, the weather forecast had dampened my mood somewhat this week. However, once the showers stopped by 2pm and the outfield dried in the long-awaited sunshine, Taunton sparkled and all was well with the world. It's 25 years since India last played at the ground and I'd never seen them play in the flesh anywhere. Of course, there was the added attraction of a world record holder, but more of Arul Suppiah later...!
Somerset had closed on 329-2 overnight and, after a circumspect start and the departure of Suppiah for a career-best 156, the scoring rate picked up. Young Chris Jones struck some lovely shots off Zaheer Khan and the hapless Yuvraj Singh, while James Hildreth dispatched one Mishra delivery way over the long-on boundary and into the staff car park. They declared on 425-3 once Jones made his half-century.
After the ten-minute break, skipper Gautam Gambhir looked like a man on a mission, after several months away from first-class cricket. He took Charl Willoughby apart in the first over but the veteran South African got his revenge in the fifth, inducing an edge to Joss Buttler who took a good catch. Fellow opener Mukund looked furious at being adjudged lbw with the score on 51, but that brought in the unmistakeable figure of Sachin Tendulkar. So for about six overs we all had the pleasure of watching the Little Master partnering Rahul Dravid, before the latter fell to an airy shot, prompting a frustrated swish of the bat before the long trudge back to the dressing room. Sachin played some crisp shots before becoming Craig Meschede's maiden first class victim. That's one to tell the grandchildren!
Wickets continued to tumble, and Yuvraj Singh, all smiles on arriving at the ground, followed his humiliation with the ball with a five-ball duck. Thomas and Trego weighed in with a wicket apiece from the River End, but it was Willoughby who starred. He ended the day at about 7.15 with 5-50, and India were wilting on 138-8, only Suresh Raina holding the innings together. The follow-on looks odds-on, although rain could guarantee the draw tomorrow. Andrew Strauss, an incongruous figure at first slip in a Somerset sweater, may have had his last batting practice before Lord's.
As for the fan's experience, putting the rain delay aside, it was an entertaining afternoon. Sitting in the sun-kissed Family Stand with some keen Indian supporters was great. There were frequent rumbles and dashes down to the stand near the players' entrance, mini-bats waving for autographs and cameras flashing ("over here, MS, MS, over here, here"...) but that was just the Dads! The kids were far more relaxed about it. It was also heartening to see top professionals willing to spend time signing programmes and bats, even nudging aside security staff to do so. For attention to their fans, special mention should go to Dhoni and Sreesanth. Willoughby also must have written his name dozens of times while fielding on the boundary. It wasn't the beery atmosphere of a T20 and maybe the crowds were reduced by the loss of the morning's play, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, and I for one will never forget the day when I finally got to watch Tendulkar and co in action.
Somerset had closed on 329-2 overnight and, after a circumspect start and the departure of Suppiah for a career-best 156, the scoring rate picked up. Young Chris Jones struck some lovely shots off Zaheer Khan and the hapless Yuvraj Singh, while James Hildreth dispatched one Mishra delivery way over the long-on boundary and into the staff car park. They declared on 425-3 once Jones made his half-century.
After the ten-minute break, skipper Gautam Gambhir looked like a man on a mission, after several months away from first-class cricket. He took Charl Willoughby apart in the first over but the veteran South African got his revenge in the fifth, inducing an edge to Joss Buttler who took a good catch. Fellow opener Mukund looked furious at being adjudged lbw with the score on 51, but that brought in the unmistakeable figure of Sachin Tendulkar. So for about six overs we all had the pleasure of watching the Little Master partnering Rahul Dravid, before the latter fell to an airy shot, prompting a frustrated swish of the bat before the long trudge back to the dressing room. Sachin played some crisp shots before becoming Craig Meschede's maiden first class victim. That's one to tell the grandchildren!
Wickets continued to tumble, and Yuvraj Singh, all smiles on arriving at the ground, followed his humiliation with the ball with a five-ball duck. Thomas and Trego weighed in with a wicket apiece from the River End, but it was Willoughby who starred. He ended the day at about 7.15 with 5-50, and India were wilting on 138-8, only Suresh Raina holding the innings together. The follow-on looks odds-on, although rain could guarantee the draw tomorrow. Andrew Strauss, an incongruous figure at first slip in a Somerset sweater, may have had his last batting practice before Lord's.
As for the fan's experience, putting the rain delay aside, it was an entertaining afternoon. Sitting in the sun-kissed Family Stand with some keen Indian supporters was great. There were frequent rumbles and dashes down to the stand near the players' entrance, mini-bats waving for autographs and cameras flashing ("over here, MS, MS, over here, here"...) but that was just the Dads! The kids were far more relaxed about it. It was also heartening to see top professionals willing to spend time signing programmes and bats, even nudging aside security staff to do so. For attention to their fans, special mention should go to Dhoni and Sreesanth. Willoughby also must have written his name dozens of times while fielding on the boundary. It wasn't the beery atmosphere of a T20 and maybe the crowds were reduced by the loss of the morning's play, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, and I for one will never forget the day when I finally got to watch Tendulkar and co in action.
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